Chapter Twelve: Hip, Hip, Surprise?

Calling the wolves and setting up the meeting was easy enough. We would all convene just like before in the clearing later that night. Edward made me spend the rest of the day napping, since I demanded to go in my ‘current state’ as he so eloquently put it.

Why did I react to everything in such the wrong way? I was not afraid at the sight of blood, yet by the smell. I would rather be turned into a vampire than be married. I’m having a baby with my husband who is seriously sterile. Instead of the tiredness and increased hunger that accompanied pregnancy, I couldn’t sleep to save my life, and I frequently found myself forgetting to eat. Why wasn’t I hungry?

All of these things raced through my mind with alarming speed and accuracy, as I got dressed before the powwow. I did not say anything to Edward though, because it was clear that he didn’t need something else to worry about. It wasn’t a big deal anyway, just pregnancy jitters, I concluded.

When it was time to leave, Carlisle and Esme took the Mercedes, and the rest of us Cullen kids took the jeep. When we reached the point that driving was no longer an option, Edward snuggled me up carefully in his arms. He was worried that the jerky condition of the road, and constant ups and downs, might hurt the baby.

Truthfully I should have been worried, and a bit more careful, but I didn’t feel I needed to be. With this baby inside of me I felt a renewed sense of strength, and a certain mother’s intuition. I was strong, this baby was strong, and somehow nothing bad was going to happen to us.

Once to the edge of the field, he set me down softly onto the grass, his hands trailing to my face for just a moment. He was dazzling me in the most absurdly amazing way, and I had no will to look away. I could stare at him forever.

“Sorry,” he mumbled turning quickly away and out of sight.

He always felt guilty when this happened. Vampires have this, what I call, ‘dazzling ability,’ and no one is immune to it. Basically it stuns you, and makes you immobile, and he often did this to me.